A climax community refers to the final stage of succession, where a community of plants and animals have reached a stable state of balance with the environment.
The correct option is: "a stable composition of plant and animal species." A climax community is characterized by a diverse range of plant and animal species that have adapted to the prevailing climatic and soil conditions. The community has a complex food web and nutrient cycling processes. In a climax community, the species composition remains relatively stable over time and the community can persist for hundreds or thousands of years without significant disturbance.
In summary, a climax community is an equilibrium state of a stable and diverse community of plants and animals that have evolved over time to create a self-sustaining and resilient ecosystem.